Alternative names<\/strong>: \u0141ing\u00edt<\/p>\n Main dialects<\/strong>: Tlingit is spoken over a very wide territory, so there are several variations of the language. Two main dialect groups usually stand out: Northern Tlingit and Southern Tlingit (including Tongass-Tlingit which has almost disappeared). But the speakers of different dialects nonetheless manage to understand each other quite well.<\/p>\n Classification<\/strong>: Athabaskane-Eyak-Tlingit languages<\/a>, Tlingit branch.<\/p>\n We are considering the point of view of Mithun (1999) who considers the Eyak and Tlingit isolates as related to Athabaskane languages for which they constitute the two main branches. Yet this connection (yet) isn’t recognized by all linguists as some of them, such as Campbell (1997), consider Tlingit as an isolate, with no relation to other languages.<\/p>\n Geographic area<\/strong>:<\/p>\n In the United States of America, in the far South-East of Alaska, along the Pacific coast and in the major part of the Alexander Archipelago and in Canada, in the towns of Carcross and Teslin, in Yukin and North-West of British Colombia, in Atlin. There are also speakers in big cities such as Juneau or Vancouver.<\/p>\n Number of speakers<\/strong>: Estimations vary from 300 (UNESCO, 2000) to 500 speakers (Linguam\u00f3n). The majority of native speakers live in Alaska.<\/p>\n Status of the language<\/strong>: According to Linguam\u00f3n<\/em>,Tlingit has no official status in Canada or in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cEnglish and French are Canada’s official languages. The scope of the country’s federal legislation on its native tongues is very limited, merely granting them the same status as that conferred upon the languages spoken by immigrants.<\/p>\n English is the USA’s de facto official language. The Native American Languages Act<\/em> (1990, 1992; amended in 2001) was the first federal legislative act on the language rights of Native Americans and the indigenous peoples of Alaska, Hawaii and the islands of the Pacific. The act not only requires the government of the USA to preserve, protect and promote the aforementioned communities’ rights to use and develop their languages, but also specifically recognizes their entitlement to use those languages for the purposes of education.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitality and transmission<\/strong>: The UNESCO considers Tlingit as a \u201ccritically endangered\u201d language (step 4 on a scale of 5). Most native speakers are quite old (over 60) and transmittal of the language stopped two generations ago. No children have Tlingit as their mother tongue.<\/p>\n The Alaska Native Language Center<\/a><\/em> (of Fairbanks University) and the Yukon Native Language Center<\/a><\/em> have set up Tlingit revitalization programs.<\/p>\n Teaching<\/strong>: The Sealaska Heritage Institute<\/a><\/em> proposes Tlingit lessons and workshops for children. The University of Alaska<\/a><\/em> in Juneau has Tlingit lessons. In Canada, the Yukon Native Language Center<\/a><\/em> sets up Tlingit lessons in the schools of Carcross and Teslin, and offers online self-learning lessons.<\/p>\n \n Campbell, Lyle. 1997. American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America<\/em>. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n Mithun, Marianne. 1999. The languages of native North America<\/em>. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press<\/p>\n \n Website dedicated to Tlingit<\/a><\/p>\n Page dedicated to Tlingit on the Linguam\u00f3n<\/em> website<\/a><\/p>\n Page dedicated to the Tlingit nation on the Canadian Encyclopedia<\/a><\/p>\n Website of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nSources<\/h5>\n
A few links for more information<\/h5>\n